STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A mystery man smashed through the glass front door of a Brighton Heights deli early Wednesday morning, then bashed a cash register on the sidewalk to get at the money inside.

The break-in happened at about 2 a.m., at the MD Bagels deli at 434 Castleton Ave.

"He broke into the store, pulled the register, yanked it, threw it on the floor maybe five or six times, went out the door and threw it on the ground, and it opened up, and he took the money that was out there," said store employee Jeffrey Weisemann.

The scene happened quickly, Weisemann said, and the man didn't even go around the counter to get at the Lotto register.

"Fortunately, nothing was damaged really except from the cash register and the door, obviously. Nothing else was missing, because we have an alarm system here," he said. "He got a few dollars but nothing substantial."

Police are reviewing surveillance video from the scene, he said, and a witness spotted a tall white man running from the scene.

An NYPD spokesman described the suspect as a white male in his 40s.

Early Wednesday morning, police stretched yellow tape across the entrance, and the smashed register could be seen just a few feet away.